Customer Reviews

Black Sun Rising (Coldfire Trilogy)

5 star:		(113)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Oh God, I love these books! I've read the whole trilogy and I've reread it and then reread it again, and it still haunts me! I never tire of it. Some people complained that there wasn't enough depth in the characters and that made me laugh a lot because sure at first you don't know them that well (how can you? this is book one) but as you progress through the trilogy the character development is amazing! Believe me, when you are done with all three, you will know these characters inside out and they will fascinate you, and you'll feel for them. The author does an EXCELLENT job of slowly building up empathy among the readers for main characters Damien Vryce and Gerald Tarrant. At first I thought I could never like Damien because I hate the burly warrior types but he's more complex and solid than I ever guessed and to my surprise I began to treasure his wry humor and to admire his strength. The priestly side of him is a good balance for his warrior skills and rough experience. As for Gerald Tarrant...oh God! You'll fall under his spell instantly even though he's pretty evil, and I mean: EVIL. He fascinates and repells at the same time and he's just too cool for words. He's got so many vices: vanity, arrogance, ruthlessness, but somehow the author already begins in this book to hint at something underneath very complex and far from all bad. Which is why I love the sequel (When True Night Falls) so much. That is the book where the characters have their surfaces rubbed off and you see what they really are like! Gerald Tarrant is amazing and C.S. Friedman is even more amazing for creating him! I wish there were more Tarrants out there (in books I mean) but he's a very original character. Anyway, my message to you is KEEP READING THESE BOOKS and I promise you won't regret it. There are a lot of dark currents and a lot of action but the best is the interaction between hero and anti-hero. With Tarrant around, you don't even need the villain, but then again, if the villain didn't exist, Tarrant wouldn't become the amazing hero he is!

The Coldfire trilogy (Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, Crown of Shadows) is possibly the most well-developed book series of all time. Friedman delves deep into the psyche of all of the major players - good and evil - to explore the depths of human morality. This book is not a fantasy or sci-fi book as much as it is a look at what makes man tick.

The entire story is an analogy, and each of the characters within it represent different aspects of humanity; primal cunning or fragile innocence, lust for power or for immortality, unwavering morality or a kind of good which sees only the end result, not the process taken to get there. Every desire a human may have will come to life in this place, and Friedman allows them all to run rampant and see where they will lead.

This is not a fast-paced, action-packed epic. If you are looking for something to turn into a $1 billion movie, this book is not for you. If, however, you can appreciate a plot that moves along based on the mental and emotional progress of its characters, a story that is driven entirely by the intricate decisions of its characters rather than by some deus ex machina, then this book is definately for you.

In my opinion C. S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy is tied with Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series as the best fantasy ever written! Tarrant is without question the most interesting character in any fantasy novel I have read. He isn't the flat "Big Bad Evil Guy Who's Going to Destroy the World" found in so many fantasy books, yet neither is he the "Poor Misguided Soul Who Just Has to Be Shown the Right Path." He's not some looming shadow who can be dismissed as the bad guy, labeled as evil and given no further consideration. He's a real, fully developed, character, one who is inclined toward cruelty. He sees "The Right Path" and is by no means sure he wants to take it. Likewise his companion, Damien, though he is a priest, hardly fits the traditional mold of that vocation. Damien begins the tale as a devout warrior priest to whom Tarrant and all he stands for are anathema. However, Damien's naive idealism and faith soon come under assault, and ever so slowly Damien comes to doubt himself and his beliefs. More and more he comes to find himself agreeing with Tarrant, and more and more the reader who identifies with Damien finds himself agreeing with Tarrant. It is much more chilling to be in the vampire's head, to understand him and maybe even agree with him, than it can ever be to be stalked by him. For anyone growing at all tired of trite conventional fantasy (unicorns, fairies, and little pet dragons) this series will be a thoroughly refreshing read.

The magic system devised by Friedman is deliciously original. The cover art is outstanding. This is one case where you CAN judge a book by its cover; if you like the cover you'll love the book. I have to see if I can get a poster sized copy and possibly frame it. :-) When you finish Crown of Shadows you will be stunned. The ending is like being hit by a train...4 or 5 times in rapid succession. While the body of the series has enough plot twists to utterly enthrall even the most inert reader, the ending puts it to shame as a candle before the rising sun. Without the slightest bit of hyperbole I can state that I had no idea how it would end until the last word of the last page was read. In sum the Coldfire Trilogy is a masterwork, the sort of gem that fantasy aficionados search for but only too rarely are privileged to find.

The Coldfire Trilogy is my top favorite. It is in a class beyond my other favorites, which are the Shannara books, Tad Williams', Goodkind, and Melanie Rawn's Dragon Series. I'm mentioning these because I think they're great, and a lot of other people do too, and the fact that this is better, should mean something. The sequel to this book, entitled When True Night Falls, is even better because you get to know the mysterious Gerald Tarrant more intimately, and understand the nature of Erna. I don't usually read SciFi, because it's too technical, but Black Sun Rising is just such a wonderful blend with fantasy and horror and tons of adventure, that it's very readable. Still, I understand that it might be a little complex for people who are TOTALLY SciFi or fantasy illiterate. Try it anyway, and I think you'll be in heaven when you realize there are two fat books after it.

In one word: Gorgeous. This first book in the series simply had me unable to put it down, which is unusual for me these days. I've gotten tired of the standard 'Naive, reluctant young man/woman/people find out they have to kill the evil Foozle because of some prophecy.' routine in most stories. The heroes in this book are real characters, already quite competent, and the tension comes as much between some conflict between the two main characters as it does with the various enemies they face.

The book defies easy categorization. At first glance it's simply a Fantasy novel, but there is more than a small horror and Sci-Fi element to this novel. The magic in this book is wonderful, cohesive, original and a 'natural' consequence of the world the characters live on.

If there's a complaint I have, it's that C.S. Friedman seems to repeat things that she's stated before, as if to make sure that we don't forget. In particular, she describes the tension that exists between the two main characters too many times to keep count. That one small complaint aside, this is one of the best books I've read, and in my opinion it outshines the other two in the series.

Set in the future, and on another world, this excellent book begins with an interesting Science Fiction background. The story itself, however, is pure Fantasy, and very well done. It also includes a strong dose of Gothic Horror to keep you on your toes. Perhaps the most impressive thing about this book is the exellent character developement. Especially when you continue on to read the next two books in the trilogy. The way the characters evolve in response to one another through the books is thought provoking and captivating. There is a great amount of depth to be explored. A common finding of mine, is that many trilogies start out with an excellent first book, and then begin to go downhill after that. This, the Coldfire trilogy, is a definite exception. It starts out with an amazing first book, and if anything, it just gets better from there. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good Fantasy, SF, or Gothic Horror.

I think the things I liked most about this introductory book (I've read all 3, the last I finished last summer), is probably the uniqueness. No elves, no dwarves, not even dragons, but... humans! Better yet, humans in a galaxy far, far away !

Seriously. I disagree with whoever said CS doesn't use enough description, because I can visualize the world of Erna even today, a year after finishing the series. Erna is so dark, dreary, and scary, a nice change over the happy grass-filled Tolkien lands in other books. Don't get me wrong, I love Tolkien'ish books as well, but I really enjoyed the change, and the interaction between the spiritual world and the living.

I think the best things about these books are the characters. You have a supposed villian, who you really can't get enough of.. You hate him so much, but you want him to redeem his soul, which cannot happen. You have the man of the church, who is forced to perform blasphemous acts to "save the world". And you know, that even when things are all said and done, they can't possibly save the world due to the nature of it, but you surely want to know how they overcome their quest.

Tarrant is probably one of the best villians (or is he the protagonist?) in a long, long time. Hurrah for CS for making us cheer for the "bad" guy!

I applaud Ms Friedman and look forward to more stories in the future!

It's rare, in fantasy, to come across something new, or at least a new combination of old things. The Coldfire Trilogy, of which Black Sun Rising is the first book, is that and more.

The opening gives us a shocking and tantalizing view of the past, and then introduces us to the main story.

Friedman's "take" on magic -- how it works, what it does, and the consequences of its existence and use -- are well-thought-out. It is in fact the way that the powers work on Erna that drives the events in all three books. Well, that and rather ordinary human motivations magnified beyond all mortal comprehension.

One of the most striking points of the book, for me, is that it features a true-blue Hero -- Father Damien Vryce -- who has sworn to destroy the Hunter, a monstrous being something like a demonic vampire, and who finds himself instead ALLIED with the Hunter against something even more terrible. The combination of true Good and Evil making alliance is surprisingly well and convincingly done, and revelations as to who and what the Hunter really is will jolt the reader as well as the characters in the book.

The Hunter himself, whose actual name is Gerald Tarrant, may be one of the most fully realized and tragic villains ever created, and you come to sympathize with him. This is something of a shock the first few times it happens; "Oh, poor Gerald! What a horrid thing to happen. Boy, I sure hope he gets through... WHAT AM I SAYING? This is the guy who chooses innocent young women to terrorize unto death in order to feed upon their fear!" One's moral compass takes a bit of a beating in this one at times, but in actuality trust your gut instincts; good really is good, and evil really is evil. What that makes Gerald Tarrant, ahh, now THAT is one of the reasons to buy this book. So stop reading this review! Order now!

I hadn't read any of Friedman's books previously, so this started off as a pleasant surprise. The opening is fast, gripping, and delicious: atmospheric and encapsulating many interesting directions that it could go.

Behind the prelude, though, is a more standard modern epic fantasy. The mix of SF and fantasy is nice and nicely handled, reminiscent of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series. Friedman writes well and the text has a nicely lush quality to it.

That's a lot of "nice" where perhaps some more risks should be taken. If there is a problem with this book, it is the pedestrian plot and the characterization. While the characters are not as irksomely cardboard as some big sword-and-sorcery books, they are not very deep, mostly puppets to jerk to the tune of the author. There are some holes in the plot that are a bit annoying.

Still, overall I liked this effort, but it took some work to read it cover to cover.

OK, this book is mediocre pulp fantasy.

But it's darned enjoyable mediocre pulp fantasy.

I have read a few other books by this author and found them to be substantially better. "Madness Season" springs to mind as a stand out work.

These characters almost seem to be generations of a standardized roleplaying system, and thier dialog and the descriptions smack of a group of teenage nerds gathered at 2 AM around the table strewn with character sheets, dice, and empty moutain dew cans.

Paladin, Undead Cleric, and Mage Scholar, you encounter a dark shape in the night. Your non magical scholar follower runs to the back of the group, lets roll for initiative!

Definately worth a read. Don't expect any great writing, or a deep and meaningful plot. But there is certainly some originality in the adventure, and some blatently obvious symbolism and "twists".